Neurological Disease News and Research

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Study demonstrates impact of epilepsy on child and parent sleep patterns

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital for Children in Boston have determined that pediatric epilepsy significantly impacts sleep patterns for the child and parents. According to the study available in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), sharing a room or co-sleeping with their child with epilepsy decreases the sleep quality and prevents restful sleep for parents.

18 May 2012

Gene therapy restores movement in children bedridden with AADC

Using gene transfer techniques pioneered by University of Florida faculty, Taiwanese doctors have restored some movement in four children bedridden with a rare, life-threatening neurological disease.

17 May 2012

Smoked cannabis may be an effective treatment for spasticity

A clinical study of 30 adult patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has shown that smoked cannabis may be an effective treatment for spasticity - a common and disabling symptom of this neurological disease.

15 May 2012

Excess brain activity contributes to amnestic mild cognitive impairment

A study led by a Johns Hopkins neuroscientist and published in the May 10 issue of the journal Neuron suggests a potential new therapeutic approach for improving memory and interrupting disease progression in patients with a form of cognitive impairment that often leads to full-blown Alzheimer's disease.

11 May 2012

Human Gene Therapy highlights new advances in human retinal disease

Gene therapy strategies to prevent and treat inherited diseases of the retina that can cause blindness have progressed rapidly. Positive results in animal models of human retinal disease continue to emerge, as reported in several articles published in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

9 May 2012

New measurement tool for clinical trials to help children with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

An international study led by the University of Sydney and published in the Annals of Neurology has the potential to improve the design of clinical trials for the treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a disorder which affects the peripheral nervous system.

8 May 2012

Rare form of dementia eats away at personality and language

Michael French suffered from a rare form of dementia. It made him do unwise things like throwing away tax documents, getting a ticket for trying to pass an ambulance and buying stock in companies that were obviously in trouble. He seemed withdrawn and no longer spoke to his wife over dinner. He also lost his job at the consulting firm. This happened in 2006. His wife found he had changed suddenly from the smart, good-natured, hardworking man and was considering divorce when his ailment came into the picture.

8 May 2012

Screening for diabetic retinopathy once every two years maybe safe, cost-effective

Research carried out at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD), University of Exeter, has concluded that it would be a safe and cost-effective strategy to screen people with type 2 diabetes who have not yet developed diabetic retinopathy, for the disease once every two years instead of annually.

7 May 2012

Kadimastem, Merck Serono enter agreement for MS drug-screening platform

Kadimastem, an Israeli Biotechnology company that develops human pluripotent stem cell-related products, today announced the signing of a five year framework agreement with Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

30 Apr 2012

Genes linked to major brain functions and disorders

An international team of researchers have found the genes that increase or reduce the risk of certain mental illnesses and Alzheimer's disease. They claim that some genes that may explain individual differences in brain size and intelligence as well. The team of more than 200 scientists at 100 institutions said this was the largest-ever brain study to date.

16 Apr 2012

Keck Foundation awards UF $1M to study how proteins in cells are made

The Center for NeuroGenetics at the University of Florida has received a competitive $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to study a new idea that challenges conventional understanding of how proteins in cells are made, and their impact on inherited diseases.

16 Apr 2012

Huntington’s disease may protect against cancer: Study

Dr Jianguang Ji, Lund University, and Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden, and colleagues investigated data from the Swedish Cancer Registry. Researchers analyzed Swedish hospital data from 1969 to 2008. They found 1,510 patients with Huntington's disease. During the study period, 91 of those patients subsequently developed cancer. The authors said that was 53% lower than the levels expected for the general population.

15 Apr 2012

Dementia sufferers and caregivers unhappy with quality of care

Dementia patients and their families have been asked to assess the quality of care available to them. Their reports are far from satisfactory. Alzheimer's Australia says dementia patients and their carers are being let down right across the health system. The Federal Government has promised to use the report to help decide how to improve the system.

9 Apr 2012

Berries may reduce Parkinson’s disease risk in men: Study

A new study has found that men who regularly consume foods rich in flavonoids, such as berries, apples, certain vegetables, tea and red wine, may significantly reduce their risk for developing Parkinson's disease. The study was published in the journal Neurology this week. It added that there was no such effect among women.

9 Apr 2012

UCB receives FDA approval for Neupro to treat idiopathic Parkinson's, RLS

UCB announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Neupro (Rotigotine Transdermal System) for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of advanced stage idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) and as a treatment for moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome.

3 Apr 2012

Sientra receives FDA approval for new silicone gel-filled breast implant

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a silicone gel-filled breast implant manufactured by Sientra Inc. to increase breast size (augmentation) in women at least 22 years old and to rebuild breast tissue (reconstruction) in women of any age.

27 Mar 2012

International Alzheimer's experts unite for global effort

The world’s leading Alzheimer’s disease researchers and clinicians will gather in Melbourne this week to agree on standardisation and validation of important diagnostic and prognostic parameters used in Alzheimer’s research centres around the globe.

25 Mar 2012

Patients with tinnitus may soon have a definitive therapy

Clinical trials of the new therapy, called Acoustic Coordinated Reset (ACR), have shown that it reduces the loudness and annoyance caused by tinnitus in seven out of 10 patients.

21 Mar 2012

Patients with advanced Alzheimer’s benefit from drugs: Study finds

According to new developments patients with advanced Alzheimer’s disease could benefit from drug treatment to slow its progression. Scientists have shown for the first time that drugs used to slow the disease in its early stages also work when the condition is advanced, greatly extending the population who could be treated.

8 Mar 2012

Concert, Fast Forward partner to advance new approach to treat spasticity and pain in MS

Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Fast Forward, LLC, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's subsidiary devoted to bridging the gap between research and drug development, today announced a new collaboration to fund the preclinical advancement of C-21191, a deuterium-modified subtype-selective GABAA modulator developed by Concert with the therapeutic potential of treating spasticity and pain in multiple sclerosis (MS).

5 Mar 2012